ClassTablet vs the paper attendance and marks register
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A register book is enough for one batch of students you see every day, with parents you meet at the door. ClassTablet is the better fit once you run several batches or classes with more than one teacher and parents need to hear about an absence the same day: saving attendance tells them, and monthly totals need no page turning.
Most coaching centres and schools in Bangladesh still keep attendance and exam marks in a register book (khata). It is cheap, needs no power and everyone knows how it works. The trouble starts when a parent asks how many days their child missed this month, or when the book goes missing.
ClassTablet and a paper register compared, job by job
| Job | ClassTablet | a paper register |
|---|---|---|
| Take attendance in class | YesThe teacher marks each student present, absent, late or excused on a phone or computer and saves.Details: Take attendance in class | YesCall the names and tick. No device needed. |
| Tell parents about an absence | YesSaving attendance alerts parents in their inbox, by push and by email. Not by SMS, and parent accounts are not on Starter.Details: Tell parents about an absence | NoSomeone phones down a list, or parents find out at the end of the month. |
| See one student's month | YesAttendance history, a calendar view and who keeps missing class, in one place. | PartlyPossible, by turning pages and counting by hand. |
| Let students check their own attendance | YesEach student sees their own attendance record in their account. | NoThe book stays with the teacher. |
| Keep marks for written exams | YesAdd a paper exam to the gradebook and enter each student's marks. | YesWrite them in the marks book and add up totals by hand. |
| Send results to parents' phones | YesA teacher sends a result, or a link to it, to guardians by SMS. SMS credits are bought separately. | NoHandwrite a report card and send it home with the student. |
| Work without power or internet | NoSaving attendance needs an internet connection. | YesNeeds nothing at all, which is the register's biggest strength. |
What ClassTablet does automatically
Automation
Absence alerts
After the teacher saves attendance, ClassTablet finds the parents of every absent student and alerts them in their inbox, by push and by email. Who counts as absent is decided by the teacher's attendance, nothing else.
Automation
Late arrival notes
When a student is marked late, their parents get a note in their ClassTablet inbox on its own, so a small habit is known at home before it becomes a bigger one.
When a paper register is enough
There is nothing wrong with a register. For many institutions it is the right tool, especially when:
- You teach alone, one or two batches, and know every student by name.
- You see parents every day, or they drop off and collect their children themselves.
- The classroom has no internet, or none you can rely on.
- Nobody asks for monthly attendance totals.
How to move over
- 1
Import your student list
Copy the register's list into Excel once, then import it as a CSV or Excel file using ClassTablet's template. Duplicates and bad rows are flagged before anything is saved.
- 2
Connect parents
A student generates a code, and the parent uses it to link the child to their own account. From then on absence alerts reach that parent.
- 3
Start on the first of a month
Keep the old register as your record. Take attendance in ClassTablet from the first day of a month, so no month is split across two places.
Frequently asked questions
Will taking attendance in ClassTablet take teachers longer?
About the same, since the teacher still goes down the list. The time saved comes afterwards: nobody phones parents and nobody counts totals at the end of the month.
Do absence alerts go out by SMS?
No. Absence alerts go to the parent's ClassTablet inbox, as a push notification and by email. SMS is used today for messages a teacher sends and for results.
Do parents need to install anything?
Parents open ClassTablet in a browser, create an account and link their child. Parent accounts come with the Standard and Custom plans, not Starter.
Do I have to copy old attendance into ClassTablet?
No. Keep the old register as the record for past months. Import the student list and start taking attendance in ClassTablet from a new month.
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